Yangga, green ants, have many medicinal uses and are still widely used to combat coughs and colds. They are either eaten alive, or crushed and inhaled like a vapour rub to open up the sinuses. They can also be rubbed into the skin, or taken as a drink with water.

Mothers with infants rub green ants on their breasts to make the milk flow, and many believe that, taken in high concentrations, green ants act as a contraceptive.

The ants make their nests - Gambul yangga - by folding up leaves and fixing them together. The picture (right) shows a nest in the early stages, but if you look up when you're in the bush you can usually spot their nests in the trees, like large balls of leaves.

Each nest has several queens, which are many times larger than the worker ants. You can see the difference in sizes in the photo.

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Wandarra nyundu!

Welcome to the Guurrbi Tours' Blog!

We hope you enjoy this glimpse behind the scenes of Willie's magical rock art tours to his traditional country outside Cooktown.

There's information on Aboriginal society, culture, lore, bush foods and medicines, photos, news and videos. There's stories - both mythical and historic - from around Cooktown. And, of course, you can see some of the wonderful Aboriginal cave paintings left by Willie's ancestors.

Please leave your comments - and we hope to see you soon in this beautiful corner of Tropical North Queensland!